Life After Death
by XxXxDarkVampirexXxX
Summary: SPR takes on a difficult case where they learn that all families have a deadly secret that they try to keep quiet. Mai becomes closer to a certain monk, while they attempt to figure out why a dark entity is haunting a seemingly innocent man and his lover. Naru finally gets told off for his arrogance, and the truth about Bou-san's past finally comes out. All isn't as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

**Yo. So once again, a Ghost Hunt fic, but this time, a different pairing. This is my first Bou-sanxMai fic, so it may not be perfect. Hope you guys like it anyway. This chapter's mainly intro, so you'll have to be patient.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

"Mai, tea!" The boss man's voice sounded alongside the first roll of thunder, and the grey skies flashed as his young assistant sighed.

Mai did not call back, but got to her feet and headed into the kitchen alcove. Hoping the storm wasn't going to get too bad, because admit it or not, she was rather afraid of thunderstorms, she quickly made some tea. Just as she always did, Mai handed Lin his tea first, before knocking on Naru's office door.

"Come in." He sounded rather annoyed, which didn't make things any better for Mai.

Managing to get the door open, Mai nudged her way in. She found her twenty year old boss seated behind his desk, hunched over and working, something she had once found both exasperating and cute, but now merely found exasperating. She had since given up on asking him when he slept.

She placed the cup down and was just about to turn away, when Naru glanced up. "Call up the team. We have a case." And with that he silently dismissed her and refocused on whatever he had just been working on.

Stifling a sigh, Mai left the room and headed back to her own desk in the main lounge. She sat down and picked up the phone, trying to ignore the thunder outside the window. She called Bou-san first, which was actually what she always did.

_"Mmm hmm?"_

Mai laughed lightly. "Bou-san, you're still in bed? It's the middle of the day!"

The monk let out a groan. _"Was up late," _he replied, his voice slurred with sleep. _"Had a late rehearsal and I didn't manage to get to bed until eight this morning."_

The girl frowned. As a nineteen year old university student with a job at SPR, Mai knew all about lack of sleep. It sucked. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but Naru wanted me to call everyone up. He says we've got a case." She heard a shuffling, followed by a grunt, signalling that Bou-san was moving around on his bed.

_"A case, huh? Been a while. The usual time?"_

"Hai. He didn't say anything, so I'm assuming it's the normal time."

_"Probably. Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning then, Mai-chan."_

"Un. Try and get some sleep. Oh! And don't forget to eat, okay?"

Bou-san chuckled, clearly amused. _"Yes, mum. Later, Mai."_

"Bye!" Disconnecting from the monk, Mai then called the others to inform them about the case too. When that was done, she leaned back in her chair and stared out the rain slicked window. She flinched as lightning flashed, then with yet anther sigh, returned to Naru's office to inform him as to who in the group would be joining them during their new case...

Bou-san meanwhile, did not go back to sleep as he had said he'd do. He rolled over onto his back, resting a forearm over his eyes as he fell into thought. He knew that no one would have found his conversation with Mai to be strange at all, but they would have been wrong. Though the girl had sounded cheerful enough, Bou-san knew she was far from. For the past couple of years now, Mai had been quite sad. And her sadness was something only he seemed to be aware of.

About two years ago, they had found out about Naru being Oliver Davis. They learned about his twin brother Eugene Davis, and how, where, and when he had died. They had also found out that Mai's 'Dream Naru' was actually Gene. With Naru planning on returning to England with Lin and Gene's body, Mai wanted him to know how she felt about him before he left.

She had confessed to him, only to have Naru blow her off by saying that she was in love with his dead twin and not him. And then he was gone. Mai had taken that blow rather hard and had spent a long time thinking hard about who exactly it was that she loved. She had come to the conclusion that even though he could be an arrogant bastard, it _was_ Naru that she had feelings for.

Somehow knowing that Naru would return to Japan, Mai had spent the rest of the time studying her ass off. She remembered every time Naru had insulted her intelligence, and she worked so hard to make herself smarter. She had finished high school, passing every class, including English with flying colours, and had even entered a good university.

Naru had come back a few months ago, and that was when all of them, not just Mai, though especially Mai, had received a bit of a shock. Naru was no longer single. No, in the time he had been in Britain, he had, at some point, hooked up with none other than Hara Masako. And to make matters worse, her arrogance had rubbed off on him, making him even _more_ arrogant than before, which was really rather unfortunate.

Bou-san knew that Naru's having Masako as a girlfriend had really hurt Mai. She had worked so hard to, well, prove to him that she wasn't just a childish fool, and now...

It was actually a little strange, thought the monk. Even at nineteen, Masako pretty much still looked the same as she had at sixteen. Hell, she'd barely even grown. Mai on the other hand, was at least three or four inches taller, had allowed her hair to grow down to her shoulders, and had uh...filled up nicely. Mai's body clearly showed that she was no longer a child, a thought that haunted Bou-san more than he liked to admit.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly. _You have to stop thinking about her like that. She's like your little sister, isn't she? You can't think about your sister that way. _That was what he always forced himself to think when Mai began to appear in his mind in a less than innocent manner.

_You idiot. You only say you see her as a sister so you don't have to face the truth. You're attracted to her, aren't you? Attracted to her in a way that isn't brotherly at all. In a way that isn't innocent at all. I know how you think of her, how you dream of her. Mai's smile, her laugh, her curves. _His mind, unfortunately, had learned to talk back to him, as odd as that sounded.

"God dammit!" Furious with himself, Bou-san grabbed the closest book, flipped to a random page, and began to read, desperate for a distraction. He had to, absolutely _had_ to stop thinking this way. Mai would probably kill him if she ever found out, and he didn't want to jeopardize their friendship for anything.

But what Bou-san didn't know, was that Mai had some confusing, but less than innocent feelings for him too...

**And that's it for now. I've got another four chapters written up in my notebook, so those'll be up once I've got time to type and edit them. I hope this first chapter was alright. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo. So here's the second chapter of the five that I currently have written down. I'm glad you all liked the first chapter. I was a tad worried, to be honest. Thanks to all readers so far, and an extra thanks to those who reviewed.**

**Just a little warning that I forgot to put before. There will be mentions of child abuse in this fic, both physical and sexual. Nothing graphic, but I still wanted to say it for those who are uncomfortable with it, or for those in which it may trigger bad memories. There's nothing in this chapter though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

It was drizzling when the team met up outside SPR at six the next morning. The black SPR van and Bou-san's car were parked out front, packed with equipment and suitcases. Naru and Lin got into the van, while Bou-san, Ayako, John and Mai packed into the monk's car. Yasuhara was rather busy at the moment, and likely wouldn't be joining them until later, while Masako wasn't coming with them at all. Naru wasn't too pleased with that.

Though Mai normally would have situated herself in the car, she had stopped doing so. It wasn't worth the torture. So instead, she settled herself next to Ayako in the back seat of the car, joining in on the rather inappropriate conversations that were taking place. They _were_ dimming them down a little for John though, just to be polite. They knew it was wrong for him, being a priest and all.

"So, uh, who's the client in this case? What's the deal?" asked Bou-san, turning left and following the van.

"I have no idea," replied Mai with a shrug. "Naru didn't say." She frowned slightly. "He...doesn't say much to me any more anyway." Then she caught the sight of their stricken faces. "Sorry, sorry, I'm good."

Deciding it would be better to change the subject, Ayako then told them a hilarious story about something that had happened at the hospital the other day, and when Mai began laughing hysterically, she smiled. She'd made a good choice. Remembering another story, she recounted that one as well, pleased at how she had managed to distract Mai.

The drizzling soon turned into a pounding rain as another storm cell rolled through the area. It was going to be a very hot summer that year according to the meteorologists, which meant that there was going to be a lot of storms like this...much to Mai's displeasure.

With their location being rather far, they decided to switch drivers at the half way point. That as when Bou-san and Ayako exchanged places. The miko got into the driver's seat, and the monk got in next to Mai, who smiled at him as he settled in. He nudged her, only to have her nudge back with a laugh.

The four in the car chatted and laughed as Ayako followed the van leading the way in front of them. The rain alternated between pouring and drizzling, as if it were unsure about what it wanted to do. The darkened skies, the soft chatter, and the sway of the car soon lulled Mai into sleep.

Nobody noticed that their young friend had fallen asleep. Not until her head dropped onto Bou-san's shoulder. The man looked down at her, finally noticing her state of unconsciousness, and with a small smile, gently brushed her hair away from her face. He looked away before he became too tempted to so something else, and instead, focused his gaze outside the window.

More time passed and Bou-san found himself getting increasingly tired. John and Ayako had kept up a steady conversation, but the monk found he was too sleepy to join in. Or maybe he was just too distracted. Mai had sort of cuddled into him in her sleep, and one of her hands was now resting on his thigh. Bou-san didn't want to move her, because he didn't want to disturb her...or so he was telling himself.

"Finally!" exclaimed Ayako suddenly, bringing the car to a stop behind the van. "I guess this is it. They're getting out. Come on."

Ayako and John got out of the car, followed by Bou-san and Mai, once the former had awoken the latter. Having been cooped up in the car for so long, the first thing Mai did was stretch. Bou-san happened to glance over at that moment, only to see that in the midst of her stretch, Mai's shirt had risen up, exposing her pale, smooth navel. He looked away immediately before temptation struck in.

Furious at himself for the way his fingers were itching to touch that soft skin, he settled with nudging her instead. "Look," he said, nodding towards the house.

"Hm?" Mai looked over and her body went slack, her jaw dropping. "...Is that a house or a castle...?"

"I have no idea," replied Bou-san honestly. He was pleased to see that it wasn't just him and Mai who were surprised with the size of the...house. John and Ayako were openly staring and even Naru and Lin seemed faintly surprised.

The group approached the massive house, taking in the green garden around them. There were large trees bearing fruits, and beautiful lovely smelling, colourful flowers. The walk leading up to the front doors was made of old grey stone, and the house itself looked as if it were made of the same material, even though it really wasn't.

Naru was the first to reach the large front doors, and he rang the bell, his face expressionless. They didn't have to wait long. The door_s_ were opened almost immediately by a man in a simple black suit. He topped off at about six foot, had dark brown hair that was swept back away from his face, and sharp green eyes that seemed to be appraising them. He was obviously not from Japan, a fact proven when he spoke.

"Good afternoon," he greeted in a voice that clearly said he was an Englishman. He gave them a small bow. "Please, come in." He took a step back and waited patiently as the group filed into the rather long hallway.

The hall opened up into a large almost lobby like room, but the man didn't stop there. He took them through a door on the other end, followed by another, and then another. Mai, walking beside John, was already unsure of how to get back to the entrance.

The green eyed man led them through yet another door, into a rather comfortable looking room. "The parlour," he announced. "Please, have a seat. Mr Cross has been delayed and is on his way back as we speak. Shall I perhaps bring you something to drink while you wait?"

"Thank you, Mr-?"

"Michael," replied the man. "Simply Michael." He bowed. "Tea and coffee, then?" At their nods, he added, "Very well," and departed, leaving the team alone in the room...

**And that's it for now. I have a really bad migraine at the moment, so I apologize if this chapter's on the dull side. The next one will have the client's statement, so that's when you'll find out what's going on and why the team's here in the first place. I'm going to stop typing before my head explodes, so looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yo. I know I could have put this up forever ago, but I was swamped with school crap and never got around to do it. Anyway, thanks to all readers so far, and an extra thanks to anyone who reviewed. This chapter's like, a page longer than usual, so I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

From his seat next to Mai, Bou-san let out a long, low whistle. Mai gave him a nudge, but stifled a giggle. Everyone was sort of just looking around the room, trying to get their bearings and take it all in at the same time.

The room was on the darker side, painted in burgundy with large furniture that matched. The window were closed because of the weather, but the curtains had been pulled back to reveal rain slicked glass.

"This place is huge!" exclaimed Mai after a moment. "It looks bigger than that Urado mansion. ...I hope it isn't built the same way."

John, who was sitting next to Ayako, shook his head. "I doubt it," he said. "The only other place like that is the Winchester place in America. This...house may be big, but I highly doubt it was built in the same manner."

The girl nodded once. "Thank god for that. That place was messed up."

"Hey, Naru, who _is_ the client? It's gotta be someone pretty loaded if they live here," said Ayako.

At first, Naru didn't answer, and they figured he wasn't going to bother telling them. Then, "Isaiah Cross."

There was a silence until the monk gave another whistle. "Damn, didn't see _that_ coming."

Mai on the other hand, frowned. "Who's Isaiah Cross?" she asked.

"You've heard of him, Mai," replied the miko.

"I have?"

"Yes," agreed the priest.

"He's the guy who owns half the shit in the world," added Bou-san.

There was a deep chuckle, followed by a smooth voice, belonging to an Englishman. "I would not say _half_ the world, but a good chunk of it, yes."

Everyone looked round as one. Standing in the doorway opposite from the one they had come through was a man. He was tall and rather lean at six foot seven, had Malfoy blond (bleached or platinum) hair that fell down his back, a pair of crystal blue eyes, and looked to be around twenty seven years old. He was dressed in a suit, but had the jacket draped over his arm, leaving him in a crisp, blue shirt.

He approached them and shook hands with all of them, before sitting down in the remaining armchair. "I apologize for making you wait," said Isaiah, "but it was a last minute meeting and one I needed to attend in person."

"That's alright," said Naru, "we were not waiting long."

"Is that so? Well, I thank you nonetheless." He paused when the butler returned and began to hand out the tea and coffee. How he knew who preferred what, they didn't know. Noting their surprise, Isaiah smiled. "Michael is very efficient," was all he said in way of explanation.

When Michael left the room, the blond man continued. "Now, you already know the gist of what I have been experiencing, Mr Davis, but allow me to explain in more detail."

The others were rather surprised at the fact that Isaiah knew that Kazuya Shibuya was actually Oliver Davis, but no one said anything, all unwilling to face Naru's wrath.

Placing his drink down, Lin opened up his laptop. They always needed to record interviews, so that they could refer back to them if needed. The Chinese man was the one who did the recording, because he typed the fastest.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning," said Isaiah, receiving a nod from Naru in response. "I'm not sure if you know, but I have homes in the majority of major cities on this planet. Where I go, depends on my work. I'm currently in Japan on business which could take anywhere from three months to five years to complete."

"How long have you been here for?" asked Naru.

"About a year," replied the older man. "I've stayed in this house many times in the past, but this is the first time something like this had occurred. At least, I believe so."

"Does Michael travel with you?"

"Ah, well that would depend. If it's like my current trip to this country, then yes, but if it's a vacation or short business trip, then no. Though it would do well for you to speak to him anyway, for he _has _experienced few things himself."

"And what exactly have _you_ experienced?"

As Naru posed this question, Mai suddenly glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like a dark shape. But when she turned her head to look at it, there was nothing there. A look of confusion crossed her face. She knew she had just seen _something_. But _what_...? When Bou-san gave her a subtle nudge, she refocused on their client, but as soon as she did, that...thing from before returned.

It was just there, again only visible from the corner of her eye. Quickly, she looked over, and just like before, it was gone. She didn't understand it. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Somehow, she didn't think so. There was definitely something in this house. Something bad.

Having been so lost in her thoughts, Mai didn't realize she had just missed most of what Isaiah had said. She refocused on him in time to hear him explain what had prompted him to call SPR in the first place.

"It was a friend of mine who opened my eyes to what was going on," he was saying. "She was staying over for the night, and she was...attacked."

"Attacked in what way?" questioned Naru taking a sip of tea.

Isaiah paused as if in thought. "It's difficult to explain," he said slowly. "It was very late, or perhaps early, if you will. I had some associates over for an evening gathering. My friend, Kazumi, wasn't feeling too well, so she was upstairs in my bedroom, resting. She would have been alone in there for hours, but nothing occurred until I too was asleep."

"Were the two of you in the same bed?"

"We were, yes," replied the blond, unabashed. "I was awakened to her thrashing about and crying out. At first, I assumed she was having a nightmare, something not uncommon for her."

"Kazumi-san gets lots of nightmares?" wondered Mai.

The man nodded in response, but said nothing to add to his previous comment.

"I'm assuming that what happened that night wasn't just a nightmare though," said John slowly.

"You're right. It wasn't. I simply _thought_ it was, for she was behaving in a similar fashion as to when she is trapped in one of those night terrors."

"But she was really being attacked?"

Isaiah's face darkened as the memory of said night returned to him. "...Yes. It was touching her in a very indecent manner, and likely would have gone further if I hadn't picked her up and carried her out of the house."

"How did you know what it was doing?"

"She told me. Once I realized that Kazumi was actually awake, I tried to get her to speak to me. I wanted to help her, but to do that I needed to know what was wrong. And that was when she told me." The blond man sighed. "She was very frightened, and has not stayed the night since."

"And that's why you called us?"

Once again Isaiah nodded. Placing his cup down, he folded his hands in his lap. "Despite what I was experiencing myself, I still did not believe in spirits. Kazumi, who has experienced other minor events in this house, wasn't exactly pleased with me when I continued to refuse..."

When Isaiah paused and looked out the window, the others exchanged a glance, but didn't say anything. The man obviously needed this moment, and though they didn't exactly understand, they gave it to him. It was about a minute later that Isaiah spoke again.

"My house is supposed to be a place where Kazumi can feel safe. She isn't supposed to be afraid while she is here with me. She already has enough fear in her life as it is..." He paused again, and looked at them. "I'm not all that concerned for myself," he told them solemnly. "It's Kazumi I care about. If my own home is no longer a place where she can be safe..."

Naru nodded once. "I understand."

**And that's it for this chapter. I only have two more chapters already written, and I'm nearly finished with the third, but I've no idea what'll happen beyond that at the moment. Exams are starting in a couple of days, so dunno when the next chapter'll be up. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo. Sorry about the wait. I would've put this up earlier, but I had culminating, then exams, and then I just got lazy and was in more of a reading mood than a writing one. Anyway, thanks to all readers so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or any of its characters...**

Ten minutes later, Mai found herself sitting on a couch in a very large room that, for the time being, was to be their Base. Naru and Lin were conversing quietly, leaving the others to so as they pleased...temporarily of course. Naru would never allow them to run off half cocked.

Mai yawned and stretched, before refocusing on Bou-san and Ayako. The two were arguing about who knew what, and she and John were watching them in amusement. The monk and miko could be really silly sometimes.

When their argument suddenly changed from one topic to another, Mai rolled her eyes. They never had to worry about getting bored when Bou-san and Ayako started arguing.

Slumping down in her seat, Mai carefully examined Bou-san from beneath her lashes. She was getting confused when it came to the monk. She considered him her older brother, right? Just as she knew he considered her a younger sister.

Mai sighed inwardly. Sometimes she really wished he didn't see her as a sister. She didn't _want_ to be seen as a little sister. Actually, she didn't know _what_ she wanted. She was seeing him in a way she hadn't really seen him before, but at the same time, these thoughts weren't exactly...new.

Even when she'd been completely obsessed with Naru, the occasional odd thought about the monk used to sneak up on her. Obviously being more attracted to her boss at the time, she'd been more concerned with that than anything else, but now...now she wasn't sure.

She didn't like Naru any more, love Naru any more. At least, she didn't think so. But with no more Naru to think about, there was nothing left in the way to distract her from her rather confusing, but not so innocent feelings for a certain monk who just happened to be in a band. Her favourite band actually, now that she'd bothered giving them a listen.

"Guys, listen up, because I'm only going to say this once," snapped Naru suddenly.

Everyone immediately fell silent, knowing that it was time for work.

"Yasuhara-san will be doing some research from home. It will be on the usual. You know how it works."

They nodded to show that they were listening, silently allowing him to go on. After making sure that they were indeed listening, Naru continued.

"Matsuzaki-san and John, I want you to conduct a walkthrough of the property. Take a MEL Meter with you and note down the base readings in every, yes e_very_ room." Ignoring John's polite stare and Ayako's indignant sputters, he went on. "Takigawa-san, Mai, set up equipment in the locations I've specified on this list. We don't have enough cameras or mics for every room, so you lot will have to make continuous trips to verify both EMF and temperature." He watched them all nod, then frowned. "Well, what are you all waiting for!?"

The four immediately jumped to their feet, gathered what they needed, and practically flew out of the Base. Naru seemed really pissy today, probably due to the fact that since Masako wasn't with them, he couldn't shag her. The group knew that all Naru and Masako really did when they were together was have sex. Even Lin was aware of it, considering his office was right next to his ward's, and that Masako wasn't exactly...quiet.

It was with deep sighs that the group split up in their teams in the hallway outside the Base. With the house they were in being so big, just doing simple jobs was going to be such a drag.

"You alright, Mai?"

Mai looked at the monk, blinking in an almost owlish way. "I'm fine," she told him. "Why?"

Bou-san shrugged. "Nothing, it's just that you seemed a little distracted earlier. While we were talking to Isaiah? You kept looking around."

"Oh, right." She hesitated slightly, wondering if she should confess her concerns. After a moment, she decided she should. It never mattered what she said. Bou-san always believed her without question.

Mai began to explain what she'd both seen and felt in the parlour.

Bou-san did exactly what Mai had expected him to. He simply listened to her quietly, not interrupting her for anything. His face betrayed nothing, but his eyes remained trained on her. He didn't speak at all until she had finished.

"I see..." said the monk slowly. "And you feel as if this thing is bad...?"

Slowly, Mai nodded. "Un. I don't know why though. And I couldn't get a direct look at it either. Every time I looked, it would vanish, but when I looked away, it would reappear."

Now Bou-san nodded, silently showing that he was listening. Finally, he said, "You know you're going to have to tell Naru-bou this, right?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I know." She sighed. Mai didn't really like dealing with Naru much any more. Not after he had rejected her. Not when Masako flaunted her relationship with Naru in her face.

For the next little while, neither Bou-san nor Mai knew what to say. Their silence was not exactly awkward, but _was_ a little strained. They continued with their set up, only speaking to confirm camera angles with Lin over the walkie.

It was a few minutes later that Mai suddenly began to feel faint. Surprised, she stopped and placed a hand on the wall when she felt like her knees were going to give out. Trying to regulate her breathing, she realized that Bou-san hadn't noticed anything yet. He was still walking down the hallway.

"Bou-san..." She felt her eyelids begin to droop as she watched the monk glance over his shoulder, watched him rush towards her. A pair of strong arms circled around her body, and Mai knew no more...

**And that's it for this chapter. I only have one more actually written down, but that's it, so updates will be even slower after that. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!**


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